Ādi-līlā, Chapter 1
39
in terms of the śāstric injunctions. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī advises that one not accept a spiritual master in terms of hereditary or customary social and ecclesiastical conventions. One should simply try to find a genuinely qualified spiritual master for actual advancement in spiritual understanding.
TEXT 36
শ্রীরূপ, সনাতন, ভট্ট-রঘুনাথ ।
শ্রীজীব, গোপালভট্ট, দাস-রঘুনাথ ॥ ৩৬ ॥
śrī-rūpa, sanātana, bhaṭṭa-raghunātha
śrī-jīva, gopāla-bhaṭṭa, dāsa-raghunātha
SYNONYMS
śrī-rūpa —Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī;  sanātana —Sanātana Gosvāmī;  bhaṭṭa-raghunātha —Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī;  śrī-jīva —Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī;  gopāla-bhaṭṭa —Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī;  dāsa-raghunātha —Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.
TRANSLATION
The instructing spiritual masters are Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Bhaṭṭa Raghunātha, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.
TEXT 37
এই ছয় গুরু—শিক্ষাগুরু যে আমার ।
তাঁসবার পাদপদ্মে কোটি নমক্ষার ॥ ৩৭ ॥
ei chaya guru—śikṣā-guru ye āmāra
tāṅ’ sabāra pāda-padme koṭi namaskāra
SYNONYMS
ei —these;  chaya —six;  guru —spiritual masters;  śikṣā-guru —instructing spiritual masters;  ye —who are;  āmāra —my;  tāṅ’ sabāra —of all of them;  pāda-padme —unto the lotus feet;  koṭi —ten million;  namaskāra —respectful obeisances.
TRANSLATION
These six are my instructing spiritual masters, and therefore I offer millions of respectful obeisances unto their lotus feet.
PURPORT
By accepting the six Gosvāmīs as his instructing spiritual masters, the author specifically makes it clear that one should not be recognized as a Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava if he is not obedient to them.